I’m trying to stay positive. It’s a win/win situation, really. Either I don’t get the job, and it’s a load off my mind and I can go back to being a dole bludger, OR I get the job and…er…well, I get to be a contributing member of society and gain experience and validate my self-worth. Right. So whatever the outcome, I should be happy!

But I’m terrified out of my mind. I mean, yes, it would be nice to earn a paycheck and feel like I’m a worthwhile human being of some value, but I’m freaked out. It’s basically a receptionist gig, dealing with the three areas of communication: face-to-face, over the phone and via email.

I’m sure you guys can guess which medium I’m most comfortable with…I’ll give you a hint, it’s not the ones that involves talking to people! *quivers with fear*

Anyway, this is the cool part:

I’m talking with KJ, the job-seeking agency chick who’s helping me prepare for this interview, and she tells me I need to dress professionally to give my prospective employers a good impression.

‘Some slacks and a blouse,’ she tells me.

‘Er…I pretty much just wear jeans. I’ve never bought a pair of slacks in my life!’ I confess, looking all meek and abashed.

She heads out to confer with her boss, clicks around on the computer to check out my details and then announces, ‘No problem, we can help you out with that.’

My jaw drops.

‘We have an arrangement with Target. All you have to do is take an authority from us and that allows you to purchase within limit of a hundred dollars.’

The company’s giving me some money to buy my interview outfit- how neat is that?! *bounces* I shouldn’t be this excited, considering it’s boring office attire, but still. I love freebies! ﻿-

Before I could apply for this job, I needed referees for my resume and…none of my lecturers/tutors from uni would be able to vouch for me. I basically just wagged classes or I never spoke up, so yeah, uni was a bust. Which meant...I had to go back further in time, to when I actually attended classes and got on well iwth my teachers...

'twas a little unnerving, looking around at the familiar-yet-strange surroundings at my old high school; it underwent lots of renovation after I graduated, so navigating the grounds was a bit of an adventure. And the prospect of seeing old teachers after about five years and hoping they’d still remember me, and fondly enough to agree to be my referee…well, that was enough to fill me with tons of anxiety!

But I walked into the office, and the first woman I see is Julia Love, the assistant principal. She smiles and goes, ‘Annie! How nice to see you back here!’ and stopped for a chat, which just put me at ease straight away, and when I told her why I was there, she immediately volunteered to help. Lovely woman! She’s so busy but made time to have a friendly conversation with an old student, I felt so bubbly and giddy.

I mentioned one of the other teachers I was looking for, and Mrs Love went, ‘Oh, she’s in the office, quick, grab her!’

Lol, so I went out and lurked near the door while Ms McAlpine chatted with the office ladies, then caught her eye as she headed out. I hung back, a little shy and hoping she’d remember me…when she rushes forward, huge smile on her face, and gives me a hug! *twirls* Honestly, if I’d known how good I was going to feel, going back…*bounces giddily*

I loved her so much at school, she was one of my favorite teachers, just so much fun and so inspirational and motivating as a teacher. She gave up free periods to go over any questions we had and help us with practice exams, and ran after-school tutoring sessions, complete with biscuits and hot drinks!

How awesome is she?!

So that was another volunteer who promised to put in a good word for me!

I headed off to the library, filled with anticipation and a certain grimness, since this was the site of my happiest days and also my greatest heartbreak.

It was- hard being back. Remembering the good days when I was so blissfully happy to be there, when it was my whole world and nothing else existed. Marina made that place…it was, to be corny, my heaven on earth.

And being there without her…yeah, it’s been five years [and three months and four days] but I’m still- argh, I’m probably never going to get over it.

So seeing that place again, the changes that were instituted in her absence, since I was last there…interesting and painful. Chatting with Mrs Parsons, with whom I never had the friendliest relationship, with that thin line between amiability and hostility since my loyalty was always to Marina…yes, interesting.

But I caught up with Rosie, and hung around for quite a while. My visit ended up being an hour and half, by the time I was done! I took ages, catching up with people and making small talk! It was positively exhausting, I tell you.

Leaving once more…there’s that peculiar wrench to my heart as I walked out, and as I think about it now. It was home, and though there’s a lot of pain and tears associated with it, there’s the memory of that comfort and security I found there once, that sanctuary I took shelter in. I suppose it’s bittersweet, because as they say, ‘you can never go home again’. I visited, and it reminded me of how wonderful the old days used to be, but I can never reclaim them.

So in some ways, I wish I’d never gone back. I think I was just about over it, and now it’s all fresh and new again.

*eyeroll* There I go again. Always manufacturing some new drama, I just never give up, do I? ﻿-

OMG! As usual, I’m the last to know, but thanks to weird_fin, I learnt about LJ’s new a la carte userpics deal! Damn Paypal takes a week to add funds to my account, but I am going icon crazy once I get my gazillion new userpic spaces! *eyes icon collection greedily* Ohh, all the pretties that I liked but never had space for! Their time has come!

But I am confuzzled. Can anyone explain this to me in simple English?

“The number of packages you select in the Shop defines how many packages you wish to have, rather than how many additional packages you wish to purchase. So, if you already have one package of userpics and then you choose ‘1 package’ in the Shop, only the time of your 1 package of userpics will be extended, rather than the quantity of userpics. If you’d like to have 2 or 3 packages in total, then you need to select either '2 packages' or '3 packages' plus the duration of time. Please note that the total amount of time purchased for all userpic packages will be redistributed so all packages expire at the same time.”

So, the userpics I already have- do they count as a package? As in, if I pay for one package, am I only paying to extend the time during which they are valid? And if I actually want extra userpic space, must I pay for two packages? I’d be pretty bummed if I thought I was going to have a few hundred icons but it turned out I’d just renewed their duration.

Also, I only got a paid account for the extra userpics. Now that you can have tons of icons without being a paid member, if I let my paid account lapse- do I still get to keep the icons I paid for? Or do I have to pay for them again? ---

There is very little on at the movies that appeals to me...

Plot: Set in medieval Persia, the story of an adventurous prince who teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world. Which is why after the prince was tricked by a dying Vizier to unleash the Sands of Time that turns out to destroy a kingdom and transforms its populace into ferocious demons. In his effort to save his own kingdom and redeem his fatal mistake, it's up to the prince and the princess to return the sands to the hourglass by using the Dagger of Time, which also gives him a limited control over the flow of time.

Come on:

handsome action hero [who presumably possesses actual skillz other than striding up to a megalomaniac and obligingly dying]

gorgeous princess [who looks to be out in the field with him, rather than being locked up in an empty room by her family who don’t understand how awesome and super talented and powerful she is- which we are meant to understand is implicit in the text, though JKR doesn't actually back this up in the written word so much as declare it to be so in interviews]

On a cracky, nonsensical mission to save the world from a Doomsday Device that the villain er, the hero accidentally unleashed. O.o

I am just so incredibly impressed with her well-timed and super gutsy moves with the idols.

First of all, she had to figure out that Amanda wasn't really on her side. I mean, it was a plausible alliance, it wasn't one of those obviously faked alliances-of-convenience that lasts as long as it takes for one to backstab the other.

Then reason that Amanda's urging her to use the immunity idol meant that the Heroes weren't actually gunning for her. Which is quite a stretch- because she's been the one player they consistently wanted to eliminate. And it makes sense that she'd be the first they vote for once the merge was complete.

So she had to figure out that the Heroes were actually going to vote out one of the other women, and then have the amazing ingenious brilliant plan to give both her idols to both Jerri and Sandra, to hedge her bets!

Which took guts, because what if she was wrong and the Heroes were petty enough to keep after her? She'd look like the hugest idiot for having TWO idols and giving them both away!

But omg, the look of smug satisfaction on the Heroes' faces when she pulled out an idol...only to be completely blindsided when she gives it to someone else, and then pull yet another idol and give it away once gain!

OMGWTFBBQMICE!

EPIC WIN!

GAAAH! PURE AWESOME OF UNPARALLELED AWESOMENESS!

Russell really pisses me off, though. He's all 'you've got some explaining to do' when she saved his bacon. The Heroes weren't as stupid as they appear [actually, no, they are, because Sandra had to clue them in, and as we've seen, Sandra isn't always truthful about the conspiracy theories she weaves, getting Coach eliminated over a nonexistent plot to oust Russell] and they were testing his loyalty while intending to vote out another person.

So if they'd suceeded, they'd've known Russell was playing them all along and vote him out next. And they'd have the numbers to do it. Thanks to Parvati, the Villains have the advantage.

Though not for long, if Sandra has anything to do about it. Damn it, they should've ditched her useless ass and kept Courtney. At least she was pretty and amusing to listen to, 'stead of Sandra's constant whining, argh!﻿-

10 Things I Hate About You.

I like this show! Kat is made of win, I think the actress has the cutest facial expressions and superb sarcastic delivery. And this:

Kat: Who’s Captain Intensity over there? Mandella: Patrick Verona. They say he knows the taste of human flesh. Kat: Please. He’s just trying to act mysterious so he can get laid. *stalks over and engages in a staring contest*

LMAO! I love this scene so much!

It’s one of those ridiculous things people do on tvand nobody ever comments on, and it’s especially hilarious because it sounds like a Twilight spork. Patrick’s channeling his inner stalker!Edward, lol. And Kat’s having none of it. Like later on, instead of being content to have her own stalker to make her feel special, she confronts him before it gets to the stage where he’s breaking into her bedroom at night, all, ‘All right, Hannibal Lecter, are you trying to deal me drugs or steal my car or harvest my organs, what?’

Brilliant!

Also, I got a bit of a shock when Patrick first spoke. His looks were decent, I thought he was all right, but his hotness factor went up after I heard his voice. So deep and masculine and…IDK! I just like it a lot. I’m weird that way, a really good voice makes someone ten times more attractive to me. [Like with Alan Rickman!]

I also like the girls' relationship with their father. It's cool that even though he's ridiculously over-protective, the show doesn't use him as an object of mockery and disaparagement; the girls generally understand why he does what he does, even if they don't like it, and they joke around with him, so he's not the 'out-of-touch' dad that gets picked on in so many shows. They may argue and object to what he says and the edicts he lays down, but they respect him, which is a nice dynamic to see on tv.

And the wheelchair thing with Kat was hilarious, what a novel punishment to make her think about her actions! I like the girl but I have issues with her deliberately crashing into another girl's car, no matter how irritating she was. Good on the father for putting his foot down and not letting her get away with it!﻿ETA: It's been cancelled. OMG. *sighs* Well, at least I know now, before I got in too deep. Thanks for warning me, luxuria_oceanus. *eyes you darkly* Letting me babble about finding a new fandom when it's been nipped in the bud. *pouts*-

Glee.

“…the show burnt off its most interesting plot developments within the first month, racing ahead like a series afraid of imminent cancellation…”

Truer words of this show have never been written. I watched the first ep and it was just ridiculous how the writers hit the reset button and either moved all the characters back to the positions they were in at the start of the season or gave them radical new plotlines that were born and withered away practically within the span of an ensemble performance.

In with the Old:

*Sue once again established as head of the Cheerios.

I thought the writers were so gutsy by actually deposing her in the final episode of the first season arc, I wondered what new ideas they had for her character and how they would handle this change in circumstance, which they handled phenomenally well by…bringing her back in exactly the same position she was in last time through the use of the most ridiculously implausible blackmail scheme ever.

*The principal loses the backbone he finally grew.

In the last ep, he was fierce and in control. The new ep marks the not-so-welcome return of the wussy pansy-ass principal that couldn’t say boo to a goose [except for Will]. Seriously, what was the problem? He could totally claim that picture was photoshopped, and anyway, she was fully dressed! It’s totally a set-up. Where’s the scandal?

Anyway, he should’ve gotten a drug panel run and identified whatever she knocked him out with, that’d’ve given him the upper hand, but no, he meekly goes along with it.

*Brittany and Santana are inexplicably back to sabotaging the Glee club. Um, weren’t these the girls that said they enjoyed being in Glee and that they thought it was cool?

And how lame was their attempt to win over Finn? Did they really think he would be suckered in by two girls who wouldn't even talk to him and were obvious about using him for his credit card? [Did he actually pay for dinner or did he walk off? Show some spine, Finn!]

Out with the New:

*After cheering for Will and Emma for half the season, they finally hook up- only to fizzle out dismally after one date! My worst fears were confirmed; I knew once they were together, the writers would find a way to screw it up, but I never expected it to happen so soon. >:[

*Rachel and Finn apparently become a couple- not that we actually see it in progress. By the time the new ep starts, the romance is already fading out.

I have a theory- the writers know that my fave characters are Emma and Rachel, so they’re deliberately cutting any and all scenes that involve happiness for either of my ladies.

I mean, come on, most shows would develop these relationships for at least an episode or two, at least grant us that much! But Glee acts like it’s facing imminent cancellation and therefore it can’t spent any amount of time actually deepening and strengthening the bonds between characters. It’ll refer to a relationship without bothering to depict its inception and growth, just the moment it withers away so it can race to another frantically-rushed plotline.

FFS, we were stuck with the epic fail of Will/Terri and Emma/Ken for half the season, aren’t we entitled to see some happy couples for a while? Aren’t the writers talented enough to handle content and satisfying relationships, or are they stuck on sour, one-note affairs of mutual misery and loathing?

The biggest disappointment for me was Will’s behavior. I appreciated that he backed off when Emma revealed her apprehension with going any further, that he didn’t put any pressure on her to explore further intimacy. But the fact that he went and hooked up with another woman!

Who looks freakishly similar to Rachel!

Seriously, who else was squicked by that make-out scene? She looked so much like Rachel, it’s crazy…and I resent being made to see Will/Rachel vibes when I strenuously object to the notion of either of my favorite ladies ending up with that moronic, loathsome douchebag.

It drove me wild that he cut off things with…Idina, no clue what her character’s name is…because- um, wtf was his reason? It certainly wasn’t Emma, just his GIRLFRIEND. The woman he’s in a romantic relationship with, she wasn’t on his mind, oh no! I’m horrified by the fact that he’s the protagonist of this show. *stabs him* Honestly, at this point, I’m rooting for Sue because he’s such a jerk.

And now we’re apparently going to be treated to the pathetic sight of Finn trying to win back Rachel. *yawns* I’m already over it. They got together, there was no magic, he ditched her. Yes, I see the character progression in that this time, it’s not Rachel suffering from unrequited love and chasing after her man, but I’m bored by this couple. There wasn’t enough of a spark when they were together to make me want them to get back together again.

And Rachel/Jesse. *headdeskwallfloor* I really wanted him to be for real, because Rachel is underappreciated and desperately in need of some love and support, and the one guy that offers that is using her! I was so angry to see him kissing her while exchanging a meaningful glance with Idina that suggested this was all part of a heinous secret plot to bring down Glee and break Rachel’s heart in the process.

By the way, even if Mercedes and co were correct about his motives, they still behaved despicably to Rachel. She is the one person that has been tirelessly working towards making Glee bigger and better and to bring them success and accolades. She pretty much embodies the sum total of its star power. Maybe she’s motivated by narcissistic goals but whether or not she’s in it for herself or for the group, and especially if it was the former, she would never jeopardize their chances for fame and glory. And they want to throw her out of the group that she took to victory because they don’t like her love interest?! HDU! *throws them all off a cliff*

The point of Glee was that anyone was welcome, misfits all had a place here, and now flushed with success that was only possible due to her star quality, they want to make ultimatums about running her life or else she’s out? Bastards.

Good points?

Let me think, and this is a struggle, which is a shame considering this was one of my favorite shows not so long ago.

*The way the group rallied around Rachel when she sung Give You Hell. I was astonished and pleased at the way they all joined in with her song, gave her back-up support and appeared to actually like her. Shame none of this is evident outside of the music sequences.

So I’m forced to conclude it’s some sort of song-fueled hysteria that briefly allows them to tap into higher brain functions and overrides their innate suckiness and short-sighted prejudices and appreciate the wonderful person that she is. Rachel is the one person that’s willing to acknowledge her own flaws- which everyone else is only too happy to harp on about while they run her down- and to try to compromise and work around it while everyone else just goes on being hateful human beings and thinking it’s perfectly all right. I especially want to pop Mercedes in that smug, arrogant face of hers.

*Terri. Surprisingly. Yes, she was spiteful as usual, but at least she didn’t lie to stir up trouble, she actually shed some light on the issues underlying Will and Emma’s new relationship. I know she didn’t do it for their sake, just because she was upset at seeing him move on with Emma, but it wasn’t a deceitful plot just to get revenge, it was a very valid argument and it’s better she spoke up now than later on, when Emma was much more invested in the relationship.

*Sue. Hilarious as always. So many wonderful one-liners. ‘I’m not looking to bury any hatchets. Unless I get a clear shot at your groin.’ *smirks*

*Brittany. That girl is so dumb but so bizarre and wacky and amusing! 'Did you know that dolphins are just gay sharks?' Lol!

*Does the fact that the writers didn’t have enough time to wreck Quinn and Puck’s characters count as a pro? There’s little else to celebrate, so let’s go with that. They only had one scene of note that I can recall:

Quinn: I’m pregnant. Puck: And that’s my fault?

Hee. ﻿-

Dollhouse epicness!

God, I love this series.

I have always been biting at the champ to see more of self-aware!Echo, and I admire the skill of the writers in deftly stringing us along with teensy clues, and then being daring enough to execute the full bloom of Echo’s discrete, unique persona as distinct from Caroline or the 40+ imprints in her head.

Season 1 was about laying the groundwork, planting the seeds. We saw hints that Echo retained memories of her imprints- like that fist to the shoulder in memory of the psycho that hired her as human prey and ‘blue skies’ in reference to the cat burglar chick. I thought that this was all we were going to get, that it was going to go on like that.

But season 2! They reap the harvest of those plot threads- Echo has a composite event and I nearly went nuts with glee at the fact that she was able to switch personalities at first, then retain a core identity with the ability to tap each imprint for their unique skill sets. This is the most epic development EVER. Come on, this is like my dream character- someone that’s messed up in the head, struggling to figure out their identity and place in the world and battling against a corrupt organization with phenomenal abilities, unlimited by the need for experience or training. It’s like the Matrix! You know, the whole ‘do you know how to fly this thing?’ and then Trinity has the info downloaded into her head, ‘Now I do!’ *bounces at the awesomeness* How I have longed for something similar myself! I’d buy so many upgrades…*daydreams longingly*

Adelle’s character had been a bit of a concern. At the end of season 1 and with Epitaph One, it was clear she was not with them at all. So I figured, going into the second season, that she would clearly be conspiring against them. Then came her frequent clashes with Boyd and Ballard and the way she put Echo through hell just for a sadistic little science experiment, and it seemed that she was going to bat for Rossum.

This puzzled me, because it seemed inconsistent with her character and what I thought her future path would be. But then again, in Epitaph One, she had long hair. A small change, but possibly a crucial one? Maybe the simple act of taking a hair-cut was important enough to alter the timeline significantly?

Because there she was, being all cold and unfeeling and dismissive of ethics and morality and that. Ma was like, ‘I hope Echo puts a bullet in her head.’ :O *iz dismayed*

Totally not my reaction. I don’t care if she’s evil or not. Because I adore her beyond reason, I was willing to root for the bad guys if that’s the basket she put her eggs in. But I was completely blind-sided by her convo with Echo after the Attic. They were in cahoots, wtf?! I thought she was torturing her for kicks and giggles, but it was actually a mission? So when did she decide to work against Rossum? Was she ever on their side or was it all an act? What made her change her mind if she was formerly in line with the company’s agenda?

I mean, come on, she gave them Topher’s tech. I could rationalize that as an attempt to get the house under her control again, but that’s such a gigantic deal, the tech she gave them, it’s not even an equal trade- it’s like giving someone the schematics for a nuclear bomb in exchange for being made high school principal! So I kinda think she was with Rossum at that point. BUT I DON’T KNOOOOW. *royally confuzzled*

Also, DOMINIC! *whimpers for DeWitt/Dominic* Oh, I miss the opportunities to ship these two, how cruelly I am denied. :[

Still, it was great seeing him again, and I have a gleeful delight in seeing former enemies reluctantly putting aside their differences to work together. It allows for such enjoyable banter, especially with a witty, sarcastic man like Dominic. *glomps him*

Dominic: I guess I’m glad I never killed you. Echo: Don’t get soppy.

HEE. Adorable. I love that he doesn’t apologize- because it seemed like the right thing to do at the time, and I kinda see his point. Though I hate the writers for getting rid of him in such a stupid way; a shoot-out with Echo? All he had to say was ‘Ms DeWitt, think about all the years we’ve worked side-by-side and I have loyally served you every step of the way. You’re not going to take the word of a doll over mine, especially not one with a record of instability and who has been glitching regularly in recent days.’ But he had to shoot at her, thus admitting culpability. ARGH.

Anyway. I thought Victor and Sierra were idiots. Why did they commit murder/suicide so early? Echo had to die and then come back to life, they didn’t want to give her some time to do that? She almost lost them because they died too soon, it was just ridiculous. They should’ve synchronized their watches or something. *shakes head*

Also. That picture Victor was carrying of the girl he was going back home to- was that Sierra? I couldn’t tell, bad lighting. I didn’t think it looked like her, but Sierra looked touched.

Too bad Echo didn’t have Caroline’s identity imprinted on her. where the hell is Caroline’s personality anyway? Doesn’t this chick have all the answers they’re looking for? I can’t remember what happened to her chip- I know Alpha took it, but I thought Echo saved it. So if Adelle’s really on her side, or at least, willing to work with her to bring down Rossum, shouldn’t they imprint her with Caroline to work out some of the missing pieces to the puzzle?

God help me. I hate Caroline, I don’t want her back. But that doesn’t mean I can just forget about her when she’s this vital to the plot. ﻿

Btw. Does anyone know where I could d/l Anna Turnheim's 'No, I don't Remember'? I think that was the song used in The Attic and I really want it. *peers hopefully* A very cool song, but I can't find it anywhere...-

Legend of the Seeker.

I admit, the first time I saw Sister Verna, I wasn't too impressed. I was prepared to be bored, rather, although slightly gleeful at the opportunity for Cara/Kahlan bonding with Richard interrupting all the time. [That paid off all right, beyond my expectations!]

But Verna won me over with the way she didn't fawn over Richard like so many others have, none of this 'oh, the wisdom of the Seeker' this and 'praise the Seeker' that. She was matter-of-fact and very realistic about his capabilities and wisdom- or lack thereof. Brutally honest with him about her opinion of him, and I grew to love her more and more as she turned out to be my on-screen proxy. Seriously, every dark thought I've had about Richard's stupidity, she's voiced to his face, it's been awesome!

So, in her honor:

x:x:x:x:x

Verna: Richard, for the last time, you need to slow down. Richard: The sooner we get there, the sooner I can get back to my quest. Verna: [huff of exasperation] Getting us lost won’t help.

Verna: There are many entrances to the old world, but you must know where to find them. Richard: Are you sure you know where we’re going? It took you twenty-three years to find me.

Verna: [head shake of ‘oh no you di’int’] Well, I assume they call you the Seeker for a reason. Maybe you can show us the way to the Old World. Richard: I can’t see anything in this fog. Verna: Once you’ve finished your wizard’s training, you will see things quite differently.

Richard: *iz unconvinced*

SotL: *iz amused*

Richard: You’d be surprised at how fast I can learn. Verna: That’s what I’m afraid of. Richard: What, that you wanted the pleasure of my company for very long?

Verna: That you don’t understand the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is easy to gain; wisdom is much harder. Much harm has come from those who don’t know the difference.

Richard: Is she always this much fun to be around?

I guess they're playing Good Sister/Bad Sister. Verna's role is to whip Richard into shape, kicking and screaming if need be, and Katherine's just there to share these little moments of humor with him to make him feel like there's someone who understands and is on his side. Because thus far, her role has just been to smile at Richard's little 'witticisisms'.

x:x:x:x:x

Richard: If you’d found me all those years ago, I would’ve just been a child. Verna: That’s usually when wizards begin their training. It’s better that way. Richard: Why? Verna: Because children do as they’re told. Richard: *chuckles*

Grr, sorry about the crappy caps, but you can see that Richard actually does take this joke at his expense with good grace. Aww, I'm warming to him now.

[After the SotL is kidnapped]

Verna: Don’t be a fool. When someone is taken by the mriswith, they are never seen again. Never. *bodyblocks him*

Richard: If you’re not going to help, get out of the way.

"Creator grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and the ability to pound some sense into Richard's thick head when warranted..."

Verna: You can’t fight them, you can’t even see them. You’ve lost the trail. We have to seek shelter.

Verna: Sister Catherine was prepared to give her life for you. Just like Sister Elizabeth.

Verna: You say you don’t want anyone to die for you? What about my life?

WORD! I literally jumped up and punched my fist in the air at this point. Because Richard is all about running on off stupid suicide missions and risking more lives than before! Does he stop to think that on this crazy quest he could get Verna killed as well? Then what? Come on, dude, one bird in hand is worth two in the bush!

Verna: I’ve sacrificed half of it already, searching for you. And if I have to die out here without getting you back to the Palace of the Prophets, it will all have been for nothing.

Finally, he sees reason. I love you, Verna. Can we keep you around forever?

x:x:x:x:

Verna: We have to take the prisoners to draw the mriswith away from us. Richard: You believe in the Creator, but you’d willingly let those people die?

Verna: They’re an acceptable loss. Richard: You think their lives are worth any less than mine?

I love this entire dilemma. When it is expedient to sacrifice human life to accomplish a goal, a vital goal that has implications for global safety and security, does the end justify the means?

If it were a matter of cowardice, that Verna was afraid of the mriswith and wanted to use other people as bait to save her own life, then I'd be disgusted.

But the Seeker is at risk; the man who can free the Midlands from tyranny and guarantee a safe and healthy future for everyone, ensure the survival of the human race. Surely his life comes above a few prisoners? If he were to die and millions would suffer and lose their lives as a result, doesn't the sacrifice of a few seem acceptable in comparison?

I can see her POV and sympathize and feel her frustration that this man who is so important to the world's continued safety is so eager to throw his life away on a whim.

Verna: There are so few wizards left in the world, Richard- Richard: I don’t care about becoming a wizard.

Richard: I’m only coming with you to get rid of this pain. Verna: But it is so much more than that. By learning to use your powers, you could save many more people, you could eradicate the mriswith once and for all, and make it so that no one else would have to die at their hands. Richard: Yes, starting with these prisoners.

Verna: And who are they to you that you would risk everything to save them? Richard: They’re people being fed to monsters. I’m going to stop it. Verna: No, I won’t allow you to do that. Richard: Yes, you will. And if you want me to come with you to the Palace of the Prophets, you’ll help me.

*facepalm* Richard has an issue with allowing people their autonomy.

It's one thing to oppose using people as bait for your escape, but he sees no issue with interfering with the way free people run their towns. He totally has a God complex. He sees something he doesn't like and he'll act on the spot to rectify a perceived wrong. *shakes head* It's a little scary, because so far it's been beneovlent, but you get the feeling that if his moral compass ever wavered, he would be capable of much choas and destruction in his blind belief that he is always right. He could cause much damage while still believing he was doing it for the greater good.

And now he wants to coerce Verna into using her powers for his own plans. Nice, Richard. Blackmail the woman into doing your bidding, you rat.

I suppose I'm too indoctrinated by Star Trek's Prime Directive, that of no interference with other cultures, no matter how their laws and values may differ from yours and what you believe to be good and right.

Verna: The dakras contain powerful magic. If you don’t do exactly as we say, I will release it and you will die.

x:x:x:x:

Forest wench: If you get my people back home, then I will stay behind and draw the mriswith away from you. If not for you, I would have died anyway. At least this way, my death will help save my people.

Richard: No. It’s time to make a stand. We’re going to fight the mriswith. Verna: How can we fight something we can’t even see?

One of the many scenes in which I dearly long to club Richard over the head with a heavy object.

He’s about people’s rights, all right, except their right to free will. This woman isn’t a servant of his, she’s free to make her own decisions, but he forbids her to act as a distraction in order to safeguard the remnants of her tribe.

Oh, no, he leads them straight into the clutches of the mriswith so that all of them can be put at risk of a bloody, gruesome death! *stabs him*

Btw, how did they escape the mriswith without that leader chick’s distraction?

Oh, wait, are those the soldiers’ screams of agony back there?

So Richard was perfectly all right using them as a distraction while he hustled his chicks off to safety. *snorts* I’m not faulting him for that, but my problem is that he refuses to admit that’s what he’s doing.

Earlier, he got all righteous about how his life isn’t more important than anyone else’s, that he won’t allow people to be sacrificed so others can live- EVEN WHEN THEY FRAKKING VOLUNTEER- but now he’s made a judgment call; the soldiers are scum, they deserve to die, he can leave them behind to suffer while he leads away the ‘righteous’ people, the ones deserving of protection.

He was even willing to thrown down the lamps to cause a fire that trapped the soldiers with the mriswith as his group made their getaway! Obviously his morals are subject to change without notice, but will he ever admit to it? Not on your life.

My issue isn't what he did, it's admirably practical. If he stopped to try and save them, too, I'd want to knock him unconscious and dump him in a cave til the action was over. But he wants to pretend that he still considers all human life equal and that he'd spring to anyone's rescue, when clearly he's consigned those guys to death, and even cut off an escape route of theirs!

Richard: They must have taken [her] back to the lair. We may still have time to save her. Verna: The village isn’t far. I thought you wanted to get them back home.

Richard: All of them. Get the rest of these people back to their village, I’m going in those caves. Verna: They’ll kill you before you get two steps inside! Richard: They can’t kill me if they can’t see me. [Ignoring the fact that he just killed an invisible creature...

...almost giving Verna a heart attack in the process]

Richard: *can haz invisibility cloak*

And because Verna is cool, she doesn't do that cringeworthy thing people often do when confronted with someone they know turning invisible right before their eyes, which is to turn their head in all directions, all astounded and confused, like they think that person just speed-raced to another location or teleported or something. If they're turning invsible, they're still in the same place right in front of you, morons! [Sorry for the tangent, it just annoys me]

x:x:x:x:x

[After Richard's improbable victory against great odds and despite his own epic dumbassery]

Verna: It was very brave of you to help these people.

Verna: And very stupid.

OMGHEE! *wuvs*

Richard: So. How far to the Palace of the Prophets? Verna: We’d be there already if you hadn’t insisted on this detour. Richard: Well, the sooner we get there, the sooner I can get back home. Verna: You’re not the only one eager to return home. Haven’t seen mine in twenty-four years.

Richard: How can you bear to be away from your loved ones for so long? Verna: As long as you keep them in your heart, you take them with you wherever you go.

And on that heartwarming note, we end the first of awesome Verna's epic few episodes. ^_^﻿---

Meme.

Snurched from sunkrux.Day 01 - A show that should never have been canceled

*whimpers* I'm still hoping against hope that it can be saved. *wibbles*

Snurched from luxuria_oceanus.

Tell me you love me and I will... 01. Respond with something random about you. 02. Tell you which color you remind me of. 03. Tell you my first memory of you. 04. Tell you what animal you remind me of. 05. Ask you something I've always wondered about you. 06. Tell you my favorite thing about you. 07. Tell you my least favorite thing about you. 08. Challenge you to post this on your journal. ---

Vidspam:

Just because I like the song and the cool visual effects. It makes me wish I had a super video editing program, the things I could do with those awesome special effects...*envies*